While NSW seems to have done a far better job at contact tracing than Victoria, that state's health bureaucracy could still improve its communication skills in relaying important information to a community on edge in the ongoing pandemic.
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NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said on social media yesterday: "Access to accurate, timely healthcare information is critical during a pandemic".
Well tell that to the NSW Health Ministry which has not put out alerts to important exemption changes for Victorian health services in recent days following a tightening of rules relating to border closure 2.0.
The Border Mail has relied on Wangaratta hospital and Indigo North Health to tell us they have received exemptions and member for Albury Justin Clancy is doing his best to keep the community informed of changes made in Sydney.
Another one came through yesterday with the creation of a new category of permit relating to care.
IN OTHER NEWS
A border zone resident can apply for this permit so they can provide or receive care or assistance to a vulnerable person including personal care, mental health or domestic violence services, and services to victims of crime.
But there remains issues in the chain of communication between the government and general public.
Yesterday a media advisor told The Border Mail it should contact other health services and businesses individually rather than provide the critical information themselves.
This is not good enough.
It reeks of a continued piecemeal approach and having something to hide for a government already the subject of so much angst on the border.
It was actually a good news story they could tell, but rather they chose to resort to obfuscation.
In the case of Indigo North Health, it received an exemption on Friday but the media advisor would still not admit yesterday that was the case.
One thing which can be relied is The Border Mail will keep chipping away irrespective of the hurdles we need to jump.
